Newsletters
Iraq confirmed that crude oil loading from its southern export terminals continued without disruption on Thursday after a drone struck a ship near the Basra oil terminal.
Early reports indicated that Iraq had temporarily halted crude oil loading at all export terminals while authorities assessed the situation after the drone incident.
According to Reuters, the drone hit an oil tanker at the Basra terminal but caused no damage or fire. Officials had not identified the drone's origin, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.
Separately, an Iraqi security official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that a drone struck a ship off the coast of Basra province.
The vessel, carrying American-branded vehicles from the United Arab Emirates, was hit near an oil terminal after arriving in southern Iraq, the official disclosed. The Oil Ministry added that it was checking reports of an unspecified object falling on a tanker.
The ministry told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that crude loading operations at the country's southern ports were continuing normally and that there had been no interruptions.
The incident unfolded as military tensions across the Gulf continued to mount following a new exchange of U.S. and Iranian strikes that widened the regional conflict.
Hours later, Kuwait's army announced that its air defense systems were responding to Iranian drone attacks, describing them as "the sinful Iranian aggression."
The latest developments came as Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan after American forces carried out another round of strikes against Iranian military infrastructure.
The Basra Oil Terminal is Iraq's main southern crude export hub, handling the vast majority of the country's seaborne oil shipments.
Located in the Persian Gulf, it connects southern oil fields to offshore loading facilities and normally handles more than 3 million barrels of crude per day, making it one of the country's most critical energy infrastructure assets.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
